Blue Devils Open ACC Tournament on Friday Versus Maryland or North Carolina...

The ninth-ranked and No. 1 seeded Duke women’s basketball team (24-5, 12-2 ACC) will open the ACC Tournament on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., in the quarterfinals against the winner of the No. 8 seed North Carolina (18-10, 6-8 ACC) versus No. 9 seed Maryland (18-10, 6-8 ACC) contest. All games will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.

The game will be televised live nationally on Fox Sports South in high definition with Mike Hogewood (PXP) and Debbie Antonelli (Color) calling the action. Fans can also hear the Blue Devils on the Duke ISP Radio Network on WDNC AM 620 with Steve Barnes (PXP) and Morgan Patrick (Color) on the air. The radio is also available online at www.GoDuke.com, on XM Radio 190 and Sirius 216. Duke is currently ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press and No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll.

The Maryland/North Carolina contest will take place on Thursday, March 4 at 3:00 p.m. If Duke were to win the contest on Friday, the Blue Devils would play on Saturday in the semifinals at 1:00 p.m. The championship game will be played on Sunday, March 7 at 1:00 p.m.

Noting Duke...

Duke is coming off shooting a season-low 26.4 percent from the field against North Carolina to close the regular season, while its 54.2 free throw percentage was a season-low against ACC opponents ... during the first 11 games of 2009, Duke only took five charges, but over the last 18 contests the players have taken 21 (Shay Selby - 6, Allison Vernerey - 5, Karima Christmas - 5) ... the Blue Devils are the only team in the ACC to have beaten a ranked non-conference opponent this season (No. 3 OSU and No. 25 JMU) ... the Blue Devils hold a 1030-526 points in the paint advantage on the year ... Duke has been listed in the top 25 of the AP poll for 203 straight weeks, which is the longest current streak in the ACC and third nationally.

The Series With North Carolina...

The Blue Devils and Tar Heels have met 78 times in school history with North Carolina leading the overall series, 45-33. Duke has won 19 of the last 30 games. In games played in the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils own a 4-6 record against the Tar Heels. UNC has won two straight in the championship game, but Duke had won four in a row prior to the two losses.

Blue Devil Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie has faced North Carolina nine times over her 18 years as a head coach. McCallie has a 2-7 record against the Tar Heels. She lost two of those contests while as head coach at Maine. McCallie’s squad faced North Carolina in the 2000 NCAA Tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif., and fell 62-57 on March 18. The Black Bears also lost, 68-52, on Dec. 28, 1996 on a neutral site. Since joining Duke, McCallie has notched a 2-5 mark.

The Series With Maryland...

Duke and Maryland have meet 72 times in school history. The Blue Devils trail, 37-35, in the series. Duke has won 23 of the last 30 contests against the Terrapins.

In games played in the ACC Tournament, Duke owns a 4-6 record against the Terrapins.

Blue Devil Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie has faced Maryland 10 times in her 18-year coaching career, while notching a 4-6 overall record. In 2005, McCallie’s Michigan State team fell 75-61 in the Paradise Jam on Nov. 25, 2005. The Spartans traveled to Maryland on Jan. 6, 2007, and lost 97-57. Since taking the Duke job, McCallie has posted a 4-4 record against the Terrapins.

Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...

• Duke has won 15 straight opening round games in the ACC Tournament and has advanced to at least the semifinals every year since 1995. The Blue Devils have won 23 out of the last 28 contests in the ACC Tournament.

• The Blue Devils have won five ACC Championships over the last 10 years and have advanced to the ACC title game a total of nine times. Duke has a record of 9-6 in the semifinals and 5-5 in championship games. • Since 1995, Duke has entered the ACC Tournament six times coming off a loss to end the regular season. The Blue Devils went on to advance to the ACC Championship game four times and won the 2000 ACC title.

• In Duke’s 32 years in the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils own a 2-1 all-time record against No. 8 seeds and a 6-0 record versus No. 9 seeds. The only loss to a No. 8 seed was in 1993 against Wake Forest, 70-69. The Blue Devils own a 4-6 record against both North Carolina and Maryland in the ACC Tournament.

• With her six assists at UNC on Feb. 28, Jasmine Thomas became the 10th player in Duke history to notch over 1,000 points and 300 assists. She currently owns 1,039 points and 304 assists in three years.

• With one more victory, Duke will register 25 or more wins for the 12th straight season.

• Over the last five games, Karima Christmas has averaged 14.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 1.6 assists and 0.8 blocks. She has notched double-digit scoring in four out of the last five contests. Christmas had a career-high 25 points and a career-high four three-pointers made against Maryland on Feb. 21. Christmas had hit only two treys the last 12 games prior to the Terrapin contest.

• After not scoring more than 10 points over the last 11 games, senior Joy Cheek has notched 17 points, 13 points and 10 points the last three contests. She has hit 5-of-10 treys the last four games and had hit only two from downtown the last 10 contests. During the last three games, Cheek has averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals.

• Six different Blue Devils have registered 20+ points in a game this season, which leads the ACC. Allison Vernerey, Jasmine Thomas, Krystal Thomas, Bridgette Mitchell, Joy Cheek and Bridgette Mitchell have all scored 20 or more points this year in a game. Both Georgia Tech and Maryland are second with five different players.

• Junior Jasmine Thomas moved into ninth place on Duke’s all-time steals list with 183 for her career, while Keturah Jackson is four away from 10th place as well.

• Over her first three years at Duke, senior Bridgette Mitchell registered eight double-figure scoring games, while this year the 6’0 wing has collected 10 games with double-digit scoring.

• Sophomore guard Chelsea Hopkins has missed the last four contests with soreness in her left knee. She is listed as day-to-day.

• In her three years at Duke, junior Jasmine Thomas has increased her field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage and scoring each year.

• Senior Keturah Jackson has a career high with eight three-pointers made in a single season. Over her four years, she has hit 12 treys and had drained only five her first three years.

• In three years at Duke, Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie has notched four victories against top-five ranked teams -- #3/3 Ohio State in 2009-10, #3/4 Stanford in 2008-09, while knocking off #4/3 Rutgers and #5/4 Maryland in 2007-08.

• In the latest NCAA RPI, Duke is fifth behind Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee and Nebraska. FSU is 12th, which is the next ACC squad.

• Junior Krystal Thomas has moved into eighth place on Duke’s all-time blocked shots list with 121. She is nine blocked shots shy of seventh place all-time on the Blue Devil charts.

• To show how tough Duke’s schedule has been this year, the Blue Devils went up against eight undefeated teams this season -- Connecticut (17-0), Ohio State (8-0), James Madison (7-0), Stanford (7-0), Western Kentucky (3-0), Georgia Southern (1-0), Houston Baptist (0-0) and Texas A&M (0-0).

• The final Coach P Radio Show of 2009-10 will take place on Tuesday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m. The show will be stationed at Satisfaction Restaurant in Durham at Brightleaf Square. Make sure you get there early to secure a seat.

• Follow DukeWBBSID on and CoachPDuke on Twitter to get the latest updates on Duke women’s basketball. Also, join the “Official Duke Women’s Basketball Group” on Facebook to get the latest video, pictures and more. Join both now as they are free! You can win free prizes each week on both Twitter and Facebook, so make sure you follow closely.

Duke/North Carolina Storylines...

• If Duke and UNC meet on Friday, it would mark the first time in the series history the two teams have faced each other in back-to-back games.

• The last two times Duke and UNC have played in the ACC Tournament, the Tar Heels have come away on top (2008 and 2005).

• Junior Jasmine Thomas could go up against her former AAU teammate, Chay Shegog on Friday. Thomas is from Fairfax, Va., while Shegog is out of Stafford, Va., and they played for the Fairfax Stars.

• If Duke and North Carolina meet on Friday, it will be for one point in the Carlyle Cup, which is a year-long competition between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels and is sponsored by Carlyle & Co. Currently, UNC leads 10.0-5.5.

Duke/Maryland Storylines...

• If Duke and Maryland meet on Friday, the Blue Devils would face the Terrapins for the third time this season. It would mark the third straight year Duke and Maryland would have faced each other three times.

• Freshman Allison Vernerey could go up against one of her good friends, freshman Diandra Tchatchouang, of Maryland on Friday. Vernerey is from Alsace, France, while Tchatchouang is out of La Courneuve, France.

The duo played together on the French National teams the following years -- U-16 (2005, 2006, 2007), U-18 (2008). They both captained the 2007 European Championship winning team.

Vernerey played her basketball at Mulhouse from age 11 through 16 and last year she played at Illkirch-Graffenstaden in NF1. Tchatchouang played basketball for the CFBB (the French national Basketball academy) from 2005-09.

Duke Players Vs. North Carolina...

Jasmine Thomas has notched double-figure scoring in five straight games against UNC, while averaging 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals.

Over the last three games, Karima Christmas has notched double-digit scoring in two out of the last three games -- a team-high 14 points in the last meeting.

Joy Cheek notched double-figure scoring for the first time in her career against UNC in the last meeting in Chapel Hill, N.C., as she posted 10 points.

Duke Players Vs. Maryland...

In the last meeting with the Terrapins, Karima Christmas notched a career-high 25 points, career-high four three-pointers, four rebounds and four steals. She has notched 10+ points in two out of the last three contests against Maryland.

Joy Cheek collected double-digit scoring four times over her 10 contests she has played against Maryland.

Duke In The ACC Championship...

Duke has advanced to the ACC Championship game in eight out of the last 10 years ... the Blue Devils have won five ACC Championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) ... Duke knocked off UNC for the ACC title in 2000, 2002, 2002, 2003 and 2004 ... in the Greensboro Coliseum, Duke owns a 5-3 record in the ACC title game.

Since the ACC Championship was moved to Greensboro in 2000, only Duke (2000-04), North Carolina (2005-08) and Maryland (2009) have won the title.

ACC Tournament Wins...

Since 2000, Duke leads the league with 23 victories in ACC Tournament action. The Blue Devils have notched a 23-5 mark, while the Tar Heels are second at 22-5.

Duke Playing in Greensboro...

With the ACC Tournament moving to Greensboro in 2000, Duke’s luck in the postseason changed greatly as the Blue Devils won 17 consecutive games to claim the ACC Tournament crowns from 2000-04 before losing to North Carolina in the championship in 2005. Duke has recorded a 25-6 ledger playing at the Greensboro Coliseum. It had been nicknamed Duke’s “Home Away From Home.”

The first two victories came in 1999 in the NCAA East Regional against Old Dominion and Tennessee. The victories advanced Duke to its first NCAA Final Four and National Championship game appearance. In ACC Tournament games, the Blue Devils have posted a 23-5 overall record in Greensboro.

The Blue Devils In the ACC Tournament...

ACC Tournament time had never been good to Duke until the year 2000 came around. Duke posted its first tournament crown as the Blue Devils downed FSU, Georgia Tech and UNC in 2000 and then won four more titles in 2001, ‘02, ‘03 and ‘04. The Blue Devils are seeded No. 1 for the eighth time in school history and the first since 2007.

Duke has advanced to the ACC Championship game the past two years in a row since Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie took over the reigns.

No women’s ACC team besides Duke has ever won five consecutive ACC Tournament titles and only one ACC men’s team has won five in a row-- Duke from 1999-2003.

McCallie In Tournament Play...

In her 18 years as a head coach, Joanne P. McCallie has produced a 28-11 record in league tournament action. She totaled an 8-1 mark in the North Atlantic Conference Tournament with two titles, a 10-2 record along with two titles in the America East Tournament, a 6-6 mark with one title in the Big Ten Tournament and a 4-2 mark in the ACC Tournament.

Duke Players in the ACC Tournament...

Both Jasmine Thomas and Karima Christmas are coming off averaging double-figure points in the 2009 ACC Tournament. Thomas averaged 11.0 points and 5.3 assists in three games started. Christmas scored at a 10.3 clip, while hitting 54.5 percent of her field goals.

Thomas has notched double-figure scoring in three out of the six ACC Tournament contests she has played.

Senior Joy Cheek has appeared in a team-high eight ACC Tournament games, while posting double-figure scoring in four of those.